Category: Reports

From our connected homes, where everything is controlled by the internet, to our workplaces, where reliable broadband access is paramount for almost every type of job, technology is impacting every facet of our daily lives. Cities are inextricably linked to the internet — and the integration of new technologies promises better and more innovative ways

This is the first post in a series about reducing the divide between urban and rural communities. The facts are stark. Economic change and recovery in our nation have resulted in vastly different opportunities and outcomes for individuals and families based on where they live. An urban-rural divide narrative is solidifying around these trends. It’s

While the United States government has not yet publicly promoted or experimented with blockchain, other nations have used the secure and unchangeable platform technology to pursue new forms and applications of governance. In May 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security granted awards of $2.25 million each in research contracts to three blockchain startups as

For cities, effective economic development demands informed, careful leadership from elected officials. Measuring the impact of economic development initiatives and projects can help city leaders determine whether they are meeting the needs of their community and local businesses. It’s important to point out that in the context of short-term political cycles, it may be tempting to stray

Today, Americans have supercomputers in their pockets, on their wrists, in their cars and in their home appliances. Internet usage is at an all-time high, with 89 percent of the population having access in 2018 — compared to 52 percent in 2000. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 90 percent of American adults have

In America, most local leaders don’t run for city council, county commissioner, or mayor solely to solve climate change. But its challenges are now present in our communities — along with opportunities to solve them. Despite lingering disagreement about the causes of climate change, its impacts have reached cities and towns across America. That is

Throughout history, the rise of new technologies has drastically changed the nature of work — both as a cause of and a response to massive historical shifts. Cities feel these shifts most acutely, serving as the places where these rapid movements are found, focused, and filtered into broader society. In our new report, Assessing the Future of

The first question most people have about blockchain is, of course, “what is blockchain?” Those familiar with the term generally associate it with Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies — but it is so much more, and it presents great opportunities for cities. In our newest report, Blockchain in Cities, we explore those possibilities. Public trust in American

The national urban-rural divide narrative is one that touts (or bemoans) the all-consuming growth of our nation’s largest cities and laments rural communities as devoid of economic potential. But this isn’t the whole story. In a challenge to the conventional narrative, Bridging the Urban-Rural Economic Divide finds that stronger links between urban and rural areas are key to spurring local,